Amtrak Re-launches Regional Service as Northeast Regional
Re-branding Features Improved Café Service, New Logo
Amtrak.com, 7/14/2008 (excerpted)
WASHINGTON - Amtrak today announced the re-launch of its Northeast Corridor Regional service, renaming it Northeast Regional. Traveling between Boston, New York, Washington, Richmond and Newport News, Va., the service, Amtrak's busiest, transported more than 6.8 million passengers last fiscal year.
Anticipating a busy summer travel season and the impact of an integrated marketing campaign, Amtrak expects the re-branding of the Northeast Regional and its associated service improvements to attract an additional 136,000 passengers to the service, valued at $8.9 million in ticket revenue annually. So far this fiscal year (October 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008), Amtrak's Regional service has seen ridership grow to 5.6 million passengers, an increase of 11 percent over the same period last year.
The new Northeast Regional service will feature a number of enhancements for passengers. Top among those are 36 refurbished, all-table Café cars with new seat cushions and interior decor. The upgraded Café cars will be positioned in the middle of each train to improve access for coach passengers who account for more than 90 percent of riders. Northeast Regional Cafés will also offer a new menu, featuring fresh sandwiches and salads, and introducing a number of popular Northeast brands. Additional service improvements include refurbished Business class seats and interiors, as well as increased en-route cleaning to help keep the trains clean and fresh.
To support the re-branding of the Northeast Regional, Amtrak has launched an advertising campaign in states along the Northeast Corridor from Virginia to Massachusetts. The goal of the campaign, scheduled to run July 13th through September 7th, is to inspire customers who may not be regular Northeast Corridor passengers to try the new Northeast Regional service themselves.
Coach fares on Amtrak's Northeast Regional service start as low as $62 for travel between Boston and New York, $72 between New York and Washington, and $29 between Washington and Richmond. Additional charges to upgrade to Business class range from $12 to $45 depending upon travel time and city pairs.